30 Secrets of ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Revealed

Gee whiz, Professor!

The 98th and final episode of Gilligan’s Island was broadcast on April 17, 1967. Though never a critical favorite, the show had a solid following and, similar to the Brady Bunch, became a TV classic after its heyday. It had every intention of continuing for a fourth season, but, unfortunately, CBS had to make room for Gunsmoke the favorite show of Babe Paley, wife of network president William Paley.

Ah well, even 50 years after the premiere, we continue to love those seven castaways… even though we still wonder why they just didn’t build a damn boat!

In celebration of this hilarious show, we dug deep to find secrets about the cast and crew and are revealing them just for you! Check it out!!

Credit: CBS

How many of these secrets did you know?

Extra Noise

Credit: CBS

The lagoon was filmed next to a busy highway, which led to a lot of sound problems. Many scenes had to be redone when trucks would drive by. “I think the sound men had kind of a hard time with it,” Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann, said. “I don’t know how you would filter that out while we were speaking.”

This distraction apparently delayed filming the show. “We had to stop several times because you’d hear trucks go by,” Wells added.

Extras! Extras!

Credit: CBS

Mary Ann and the professor were initially considered extras which is why they were omitted from the opening. In the first season’s credits, both Russell Johnson (who played the professor) and Wells were only referred to as “the rest” because the the two joined after the pilot had aired.

But after the first season, Bob Denver, who played Gilligan, fixed the situation. “Gilligan insisted that there were seven people on the island and took it to the producer and they changed the credits,” Wells said.

Afterwards, it became a joke. Wells and Johnson embraced it and “always sent each other cards [that said] ‘Love, and the rest,’” said Wells.

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